US2592627A - Pressure vessel closure - Google Patents

Description

April 15, 1952 J WARD 2,592,627

PRESSURE VESSEL CLOSURE Filed Feb. 11, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ARTHUR J. WARD Attorney April 15, 1952 A. J. WARD 2,592,627

PRESSURE VESSEL CLOSURE Filed Feb. 11, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ARTHUR J. WARD A ril 15, 1952 Filed Feb. 11, 1946 A. J. WARD PRESSURE VESSEL CLOSURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. ARTHUR J. WARE Patented Apr. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act-of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 1 Claim.

invention relates to pressure vessels and in particular to a closure for a pressure cooker of relatively large capacity which (closure) is provided with a locking mechanism of suflicient strength to hold the closure in a gas tight sealing relationship to the body of the cooker.

It is known in the art to provide pressure cookers and analogous equipment with closure devices which are held in sealing position by means of radial arms mounted on the closure and which are operated by means of a rotatable wrist plate which moves the radial arms into and out of engagement with ears or lugs which are attached to the body of the container. Use of such sealing means is attended by considerable wear of the engaging surfaces which in the course of, time causes the closure to leak and to be unable to maintain the gas tight seal required. To. overcome this defect applicants invention is provided with adjustable means for maintaining the gas tight seal at all times. Furthermore, applicant's apparatus is provided with automatic locking means which holds the closure in fixed gas tight sealing position.

With the above defects in view, it is therefore,

an object of this invention to provide a gas tight sealing closure for pressure cookers and similar equipment, and

It is also an object of this invention to provide a gas tight sealing closure for pressure cookers and similar equipment in which the closure is hinged to the body of the container, and It is a further object of this invention to provide a gas tight sealing closure for pressure cookers or similar equipment in which the closure is held in gas tight sealing position by means of wedgeended radial arms which are adapted to be adjustable longitudinally and to be movable radially by means of a rotatable wrist plate, and

It is an additional object of this invention to provide the closure sealing mechanism with automatic locking means which is adapted to hold the closure in sealing relationship with respect to the body of the container. I

These and other objects will be apparent from the following description, claims and from the drawings, all of which define a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not limitative with respect thereto.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational plan view of the closure in locked sealing position, showing the relationship of the radial arms to each other, the rotatable wrist plate, the operating handle, the

2 locking device, and the brackets on the container body which the radial arms engage.

Figure 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1. It is partly in elevation and partly in section. This section shows the configuration of the radial arms, the length adjusting means, the wedge shaped end of the radial arm, the relationship of the arm to the wrist plate and to the bracket on the container body and the gas tight sealing gasket.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal elevation of the operating handle and lockingdevice taken along line 3-3 of Figure l and Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1. It is partly in section and partly in elevation.

Figure 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1. It is partly in elevation and partly in section. In the drawings in represents the cover plate of a pressure vessel. It is provided with a spindle l2 which is located centrally with respect to the cover plate. On spindle 12 positioned immedi ately above the cover plate is spacing collar M on which rests circular wrist plate l6 which is rotatable with respect to spindle l2. The wrist plate is rotated by means of operating handle 18 which is adapted to engage the wrist plate by means of spaced studs 20 which fit into holes 2| in thewrist plate. The assembly of spacing collar, wrist plate and operating handle is held in position on spindle l2 by means of nut 22 which engages the threaded end of the spindle and by washer 24. Nut 22 is adapted to be locked in position by any conventional means such as a cotter key. Operating handle I 8 is provided with lugs 26 which are adapted to pivotally support latch 28 which is in the form of a bellcrank. This latch is provided with a champfered detent 30 which is adapted to engage locking angle or stop 36. Latch 28 is biased to locking position by spring 34.

Wrist plate [6 pivotally supports a plurality of radial angularly spaced arms as at 40. In this embodiment these arms are of tubular structure and are in two sections, 38 and 39. These sections are threaded as at 44 and 46, the one right-handed and the other left-handed and are adapted to coast with coupling sleeve 48 to form a means which is adapted to vary the overall length of the arm. Radial arm section 39 extends through bracket guide 50 which limits the lateral displacement of the radial arm as it moves into and out of engagement with roller bracket 52 which is rigidly attached to container body 53. Bracket 52 is provided with a roller 54 which is rotatably mounted in the legs of this bracket by means of axial pin 55. Radial arm section 39 is bevelled, cammed or wedge shaped in vertical section at its outer end. This wedged end is adapted to engage roller 54 as the radial arm is moved outwardly by wrist plate I6. Obviously such movement will force cover plate l into close contact with the rolled rim of container body 53. In order to make this contact gas tight cover plate It) is provided with an annular, rubber gasket 58 which is held in place by the formed edge 62 of the cover plate and an annular Z bar structural shape 60.

Cover plate ID is provided with male hinge arms 66 and 51 which are respectively pivoted between" pairs of female hinge arms 68, 69 and 70, 'llby means of pivot pins 12 and 13.. The bearings of these pivot pins 12 and 13 in hinge arms 58,, 6 9, and H are'slotted vertically to permit vertical movement of the cover plate III in its sealing action. Hinge arms 66 and 61' arerigidly attached to cover plate 10 and the hinge arms 68, 69,10 and H are rigidly attached to container body 53. The pivoting axis of the hinge is off-set with respect to container body 53in order that when the cover plate is swung on its hinge, it is lifted in the clearof the container body. Stop pins 14 are so positioned on hinge arms 68,- 69, I0 and H to limit the swing of the cover plate to approximately 110 in which position the chance ofan unexpected closing of the cover is ver remote. Cover plate I0 is also. provided with a lifting handle 16 which is adapted to be attached to a lifting ropeor chain. Y

In operation of the closure device of this invention, after a charge of food to be cooked has been placed in the container body, the cover lid with theradial arms retracted, i. e., with wrist plate rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, is low- 'ered into position. The operating handle is then moved in a clockwise direction until the detent of the latch drops over the vertical leg of the locking angle. This movement causes. the wedge-shaped ends of the radial arms to engagethe rollers in thevcontainer body brackets. The rubber gasket of the coverlplate. is thereby forced into close contact with the rolled rim of-the container body and a. gas tight, seal is formed .To compensate for wear .of'the. gasket or other wearing parts or for any unevenness in theapplication of pressure bytheradialarms, the length of the latter may bevaried bymeans of turning the coupling sleeve in the direction to increase or decrease the length thereofas required. v t Whilein above descriptionand drawings a particular embodiment of-thisz invention has been shownit is not desired to be strictly limited thereto asaothertypes and modifications of the structural elements may be used such as, for example, a diflerent form of locking mechanism or other means of varying the length of the radial arms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the herewith appended claim. vv I The. invention described herein may be manufactured and used layer for the Government of theiUnitedStates of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

In a closure device for a cylindrical pressure vessel having a plate cover, a rim sealing mechanism for said vessel, said mechanism comprising a disc-like wrist-plate, means pivotally mounting said wrist-plate on the top central surface of said plate cover, a" plurality. of radially movable arms,

means pivotally connecting said arms at one end to the rim of said Wrist-plate for radial movement of a predetermined distance and having on the other end an upwardly facing inclined cam surface extending along said arm a distance equal to said predetermined distance, a handle, means rigidly attaching said handle to said wrist-plate so that movement of said handle projects and retractssaid arms radially of said cover, a convexly curved rim on said vessel, a flexible annular gasket ets on said cover for receiving each of said arms;

a plurality of roller brackets, said roller brackets comprising a plate having a pair of spaced upstanding lugs for mounting a roller thereb'et ween, means securing each of said roller brackets to said vessel, means aligning each of said roller brackets with each of said arms whereby the cam surface of said arms engages said rollers and moves through said predetermined distance to secure said cover to said vessel, and means for locking said handle and arms in the radially projected position, saidlocking means comprising a pair of spaced depending lugs formed integral with said handle, a spring operated latch having a'detent in one endthereof, means mounting said latch between said lugs, an anglearm operatingsas a keeper-for said latch secured to said cover whereby said handleis locked ina fixedclo sedpositi'on whenthedetent of said latch engages vtheupstanding portion of said angle armthus precluding thepossibility of forcible dislodgment of said cover because of excessive pressure in said vessel.

ARTHUR Jjwiss.

1 RE ER NC S CIT V The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I vName Date 622,546 Shawv ,Apr. 4, 1899 838,093 Emmons' Dec. 11, 1906 1,092,289 Reese Apr. '7, 914

1,326,081 Parish Dec. 23,1919 2,011,675 Cawood' Aug{20,1935 2,033,305 Roy Mar. 10, 1936 2,237,528 Marasso A'pr. -"8, 1941 2,309,617 Benson j Jan.- 26; 1943 2,395,602 Wittenberg ;jFeb. 26, 1946 2,447,042 Velie Aug. 17 1948 2,453,492 Carter Nov. '9; 1948 o v FOREIGN'PATENTS m V Number Country j r D3 i 3 1,489 France Dec; 2, 1926 France Mar. 7,1927

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